Every year the request for bikes exceeds our ability to purchase them, and we hope that you will help us achieve our goal in getting every child in the Bay Area that needs and wants a bike, on one. We would like for you to be a part of this special event by making a donation that can be presented to Turning Wheels for Kids on the day of the Big Bike Build.

Your donation will be used for this and future events. Make checks payable to Turning Wheels for Kids. No donation is too small. $5, $10, $20. Anything will be greatly appreciated. Please direct questions and send all donations to:

Turning Wheels for Kids is a registered 501c3 non profit that promotes healthy lifestyles by providing underserved children with a brand new bicycle at the holidays and year round through a number of partnerships focused on preventing childhood obesity and supporting low-income families. Their partnership with the Valley Medical Center Pediatric Lifestyle Clinic helps get kids with obesity related health issues experiencing the fun outdoors as an alternative to video and computer games, TV, and texting.

Tax Deductibility and Tax Identification Number

The value of your contribution will be a tax deductible donation. Turning Wheels tax identification number is 77-0187890.

Thank you for considering a donation to Turning Wheels for Kids. Your contribution will help ensure a successful event and we are happy to share your generosity. I will bundle your donations with a list of contributors and present them on December 8 on behalf of MBOSC – Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz.

A 15-year-old Scotts Valley skater, Josh Useldinger, grabs some air while warming up for his heat at the Tim Brauch Memorial Skate Contest on Sunday. (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel)

Michael Brookman won the men’s pro division of the 13th annual Tim Brauch Memorial Skateboarding contest, which was held in San Jose and Scotts Valley over the weekend. Brookman took home a cool $1,000 for his performance.

Josh Rodriquez placed second for a $600 prize and Sky Siljeg placed third for the $400 prize.

Other winners were Steve Caballero in the masters division, Lizzie Armanto in the ladies division and Tristan Rennie in the amateur division.

All right! My esteemed colleagues over in the sports department of the Santa Cruz Sentinel did a quick write-up of the Santa Cruz Half Marathon and 10k, but I wanted to post the top 10 lists and some other highlights here.

Congrats to everyone who finished. I know this was a first half for a lot of people, so kudos to all the newbies. I hope to be one of you soon :)

HALF MARATHON – Top 10 men

1. Adam Roach [Pacific Grove], 1:11:33

2. Salvador Garcia [Los Banos], 1:15:43

3. Martin Conrad [Monterey], 1:15:43

4. Matt Allie [San Jose], 1:17:07

5. Karl Malmsheimer [Los Gatos], 1:17:36

6. Kevin Schneider [Mountain View], 1:19:26

7. Dan Napieralski [Folsom], 1:20:30

8. Kevan Chu [Santa Cruz], 1:20:45*

9. Bernardo Tapia [Redwood City], 1:21:15

10. Raymond Rodriguez [Los Banos], 1:21:43

HALF MARATHON – Top 10 women

1. Monica Jo Nicholson [Salinas], 1:24:50

2. Jessica Scola [San Francisco], 1:26:11

3. Rhea George [Seattle], 1:26:12

4. Kari Anne Bertrand [Gilroy], 1:27:11

5. Anna Gunn [Walnut Creek], 1:28:07

6. Lisa Castillo [Salinas], 1:28:11

7. Darci Cassinelli [Santa Clara], 1:28:50

8. Amber Arnaz [Tracy], 1:29:19

9. Ann Thomas [Santa Cruz], 1:29:37*

10. Katherine Rapmund [Walnut Creek], 1:31:23

10-KILOMETER RACE – Top 10 overall

1. Adam Marriott [Scotts Valley], 34:11*

2. Alexander Mahoney [San Jose], 34:57

3. Michael Ingardia [San Jose], 35:27

4. Matthew Meyerhofer [San Francisco], 36:44

5. Albert Pham [Cupertino], 37:00

6. Jim Tiffany [Seaside], 37:33

7. Nikia Brautovich [Aptos], 37:45*

8. Stephanie Kato [San Jose], 38:22

9. Isaac Medrano [Santa Clara], 38:26

10. Nicholas Chee [Salinas], 39:13

*Denotes top Santa Cruz County finishers

I was actually out at the race doing a fun little video for the Sentinel’s website (I was the one walking around in a snow jacket — man, it was cold out there), and I was able to catch up with 10k winner Nikia Brautovich, who said she considers this 10k her first, since she’d only previously done one when she was a kid. Anyway, here’s the quick interview we did on Cowell Beach just past the finish line.

Employees of Lululemon Athletica cheer on runners as they near the finish line in Santa Row during the "inaugural" 408k run in San Jose Sunday March 11, 2012. The run started at HP Pavilion and winded through the San Jose area and ending at Santana Row. The run was an 8K race that raises money for the Pat Tillman fund. (Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group)

Aptos’ Dan Gruber put some extra spring in his step the morning of Spring Forward and placed 13th in the 408K Race to the Row, an 8-kilometer footrace, in San Jose.

The 408K Race to the Row was an inaugural event Sunday that saw 3,000 runners sign up and $10,000 earned for the Pat Tillman Foundation.

Gruber, a former Wharf to Wharf winner and Aptos High coach, crossed the finish line in 29 minutes, 39 seconds to win the 55-59 age group, according to results posted to the event’s website. Kevin Pierpoint of Campbell won the overall title in 24:53.

Santa Cruz County also had two runners place in the top 15 of the women’s field. Margaret Fahl of Watsonville and Trinity Magas of Santa Cruz were seventh and 10th, respectively. Fahl finished the race in 33:26 for 48th overall, and Magas finished in 35:02 for 83rd overall.

Other area runners to make the top 100 were Soquel’s Matt Dixon, who placed 72nd overall in 34:36, and Watsonville’s Albert Delatorre, who placed 80th in 34:57.
— Christina Gullickson, on Twitter at @CGullTweets

Gabe Multer, at right, celebrates his podium performance with other top finishers. (Charlotte Multer/Contributed)

Scotts Valley High student and Santa Cruz resident Gabe Multer won the 17-18 juniors cycling race at the Central Coast Circuit Races in Monterey on Sunday. Multer, who rides for Ritte Elite U23 Development Team, edged out Mill Valley’s Dillon Charlton for the victory and his second podium finish of the day, according to results released early this week.

Aptos’s David Borba was another Santa Cruz County rider in good form, winning the master men’s Cat 5 45-99 age division race, and the Heatons again dominated. Steve Heaton [HC3 Coaching] won the master men’s Cat 1/2/3 35-99 age division and Michele Heaton [Sycomp Racing] won the women’s Cat 1/2/3/4 35-99 age division.

The next circuit race is scheduled for March 11. For details, go here.

Santa Cruz’s Judy Sambrailo traveled to Boston and did her best to conquer the world on Sunday. The masters-level competitor with the Los Gatos Rowing Club took silver at the C.R.A.S.H.-B World Indoor Rowing Championship at Boston University’s Agganis Arena.

Sambrailo, a Watsonville native who lives in Santa Cruz, was second in the women’s 50-54 age division, according to a LGRC press release. Sambrailo, 53, finished her stationary race in 7 minutes, 28.7 seconds.

Her teammate, Joan Pendleton, 57 of San Jose, took fourth in the women’s 55-59 age division [7:44.4], according to the press release.

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Who’s behind “Out and About”

The "Out and About" blog is run by writers for the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Freelancer Karen Kefauver is not only an avid cyclist, but also a sports and travel journalist whose column "Spin City" regularly appears on the Sentinel website.
Julie Jag, Sports Editor of the Sentinel, is a native Coloradan who loves a good workout as much as a good adventure, which are oftentimes chronicled in her "Out There" or "Snow Job" columns.
Read more from them at www.santacruzsentinel.com.